The College is excited to announce upcoming enhancements to Pharmacy Connection, making it a more timely and responsive resource for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians by creating a dynamic new digital publication that will improve access to important information, tips, news and updates relevant to practicing pharmacy professionals.
The new digital publication will allow the College to focus on getting relevant information to registrants quicker and will make it easier to find published content no matter what device or platform you’re using within a busy practice. Digital-only content such as videos will also augment the experience for readers, as will a greater focus on formatting our stories for easier and quicker reading when there a more demands on your time than ever.
New features and benefits for subscribers include:
- A more responsive and focused publication. A digital-only Pharmacy Connection enables the College to publish articles when they are most relevant and timely for you, and not based on a set quarterly publishing schedule.
- Fresh, up to date content. By the time subscribers receive Pharmacy Connection in the mail, some information may be stale or out of date. A digital publication allows content to be shared when it is fresh, and for it to be updated with new information as needed.
- Opportunities for additional features. The digital-only version will allow the College to make use of additional features, including video, infographics and interactive features to enhance the reading experience.
- Common reading experience among all registrants. The majority of registrants already rely on the digital Pharmacy Connection as they have declined the print edition. A single access point to Pharmacy Connection content ensures a common reading experience among all pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.
- Effective use of College resources: Pharmacy Connection has significant costs associated with printing and mailing and these costs are only anticipated to rise. The transition to a digital-only version supports the College’s commitment to be cost-effective and efficient in all of our activities.
- More environmentally friendly: Moving to a digital-only magazine can help prevent the use of more than a million pieces of paper a year, plus the energy and resources required to transport the editions.
As we work to launch this exciting initiative, we will be engaging registrants to seek their input to help inform what the evolution of Pharmacy Connection looks like. Once the refreshed PharmacyConnection.ca has launched, we will also continue to seek feedback and make enhancements to support a seamless, engaging experience for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. Our goal is to provide a publication that provides timely, relevant information that pharmacy professionals can apply in their day to day practice as they deliver safe and quality patient care.
The shift to a new, more effective and timelier digital magazine means that the College will retire the current print magazine format. The next edition this summer will be the last to be printed and mailed to hard-copy subscribers. By making this transition to a fully digital experience, the College can share more information, more frequently, in a way that addresses current issues and questions you may have, support our commitment to cost-effective and efficient, as well as environmentally friendly, in all of our activities, and introduce new features and benefits for readers.
We look forward to sharing the new Pharmacy Connection experience with you this summer!
Please see below for further questions and answers about this transition.
Questions and Answers for Registrants
Q: Why is the College eliminating the print edition of Pharmacy Connection?
The College is focused on providing a more responsive and timely resource that supports our fundamental role in sharing information, updates, tips and guidance that pharmacy professionals need to provide safe and quality patient care.
We believe this move will support more up to date and fresh content that is relevant to your every day practice in a timelier manner than through a print publication produced quarterly. It will also enable us to incorporate more creative, digital-focused features into our content, such as video and quizzes.
The College’s data shows that only about a third of registrants (42% of pharmacists and 12% of pharmacy technicians) were receiving the print edition. In fact, while the total number of individuals registered with the College has grown, the number of print copies we send out has declined, resulting in a smaller percentage of registrants receiving the print copy every year.
The transition to a digital only product in lieu of a quarterly print magazine also allows us to use our resources effectively at the same time. With all registrants using the same platform, PharmacyConnection.ca, we can ensure that everyone gets the same experience and access to content.
Q: Will registrants be consulted on this?
In making this decision, the College has considered multiple sources of information, including feedback received from registrants via surveys, data on the use of Pharmacy Connection, and reviewing the emerging trends regarding a greater shift to digital publications in an increasingly connected, busy and digital world.
As we work to launch this exciting initiative, we will be engaging registrants to seek their input to help inform the future of Pharmacy Connection as a digital resource that will support timelier access to relevant information for registrants.
Once the refreshed PharmacyConnection.ca has launched, we will also continue to seek feedback and make enhancements to support a seamless, engaging experience for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. Our goal is to provide a publication that provides timely, relevant information that pharmacy professionals can apply in their day to day practice as they deliver safe and quality patient care.
Q: I prefer to read information in print. How can I access Pharmacy Connection?
We recognize that there will be an adjustment period for those who prefer to read content in print. For every story on PharmacyConnection.ca, there will be a clear button to get a print-friendly copy of the story that you can then print out as needed. In addition, the digital product will also have engaging formats, infographics, content that is easily shareable and more features to support a positive reading experience.
Q: It seems like I’m getting less for my fees. What is the College doing with the money saved from eliminating the print version?
Registrants will continue to be able to access all Pharmacy Connection content via PharmacyConnection.ca.
There are significant and rising costs associated with preparing, printing and mailing physical copies of Pharmacy Connection. This transition will support the College’s commitment to be cost-effective and efficient in all of our activities, by reducing costs associated with production and instead allowing us to focus on enhancing our processes and investing our efforts to ensure better, timelier, more relevant content. We believe that there is a better way to deliver meaningful content to you as a registrant and therefore are shifting our work and resources accordingly.